Something Borrowed, Something Green? Plan a Sustainable Wedding

Your Big Day the Green Way

Planning a wedding is a costly, emotional, and time-consuming undertaking—often leaving little room for the idea of sustainability. I mean, this is the one day where the entire focus is on you, right? And with so much going on, it might not even cross your mind to think about the environment. But if you’re planning a wedding, going green doesn’t have to mean more work and more money. In fact, by making your wedding a more sustainable event, not only will you make your big day even more memorable, you can save some serious cash!

Go Partially Paperless

While there’s still something special about sending printed invitations for your actual wedding, save money and paper by sending digital invites for your save-the-date, engagement party, rehearsal dinner, and shower. Websites like Paperlesspost.com, Evite.com, and Punchbowl.com have some elegantly festive options so you can get the job done without chopping down a single tree—all with pricing packages that range from free to budget-friendly.

Keep It Local—Even When Far from Home

Even if you’re not getting married in the town you live in, you can still make sustainable local choices that will help make your wedding one-of-a-kind. Wedding photographer Michelle Posey commented, “I saw a couple do a great job of putting on a sustainable wedding. They had their wedding outdoors, made local food and wine choices, used flowers from friends’ gardens instead of having them shipped in, and used a family wedding dress instead of buying a new one.”

Eatwellguide.org makes finding caterers who specialize in using local ingredients as simple as just typing in your zip code. Not only is going local better for the environment, and your taste buds—it may also save you on the cost of food. The less your food has to travel, the fewer the hands that will be looking to cash in on its journey.

Take Out the Good China

Big weddings often lead to people cutting corners when it comes to using china and flatware. Setting the tables with proper place settings not only helps to make your day feel more special, it will also allow you to avoid the extra waste that comes with using paper and plastic products …no matter how high quality. The caterer or the venue may have to wash a ton of dishes that night, but it will be worth it in the end!

In fact, by making your wedding a more sustainable event, not only will you make your big day even more memorable, you can save some serious cash!

Get a Green Diamond

No marriage is symbolically complete without a diamond, right? And when it comes to sustainability, even your ring can be green. Ivanka Trump recently partnered with Canadian jewelers, Walden Diamond Company, to create a line of original, environmentally-friendly diamonds. According to their website all their diamonds are “certified Green” by the Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct. “This is a guarantee that the diamonds are an ethical conflict free product and mined by an environmentally responsible company. They are on the forefront of social and environmental responsibility with community outreach efforts, progressive reclamation, and a commitment to sustainable development research.” Not only that, but with their commitment to competitive pricing, Ivanka and Walden are making sure chic and sustainable luxury is affordable too!

Cash is King

Whether you have a wedding registry or not, too often couples find themselves with three toasters—when they didn’t even want one. The people who do opt to give the gift of green may also give it in the form of checks and gift cards, that still fill up our planet with pounds of unwanted waste. An excellent way to offer guests a sustainable alternative to buying a tangible gift is to register online with Depositagift.com. “Guests contribute monetary gifts that go into a personal account which you can access at any time. The cash is yours to use towards anything your imagination can conjure (think honeymoon or house). And because DAG is a registry service instead of a store, you’re free to make purchases wherever you like.”

Recycle Your Wedding

Another Fab & Fru resource for reducing your carbon footprint of wedding planning is Recycledbride.com. Recycled Bride is a shopping site that allows you to buy and sell high quality, but slightly used, wedding garb and decorations. From tiaras to tuxes, this site has almost every wedding detail you can imagine for a fraction of the cost.